• Learn about the rehabilitation of injured, sick and orphaned birds of prey during this live wildlife display. You’re sure to create lasting memories as you and your children interact with these amazing creatures!

• At Base camp, you will have the opportunity to build “nature sculptures” with the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie of the US Forest Service. During this activity, kids will utilize local, natural materials that surround them to create artistic “habitats”.

• This year, the Cook County Forest Preserve will be joined by their very own snake and turtle for an up-close and personal encounter.

• REI will have a presentation on PEAK, a hands-on, interactive program where children are taught to have fun outside while practicing responsible outdoor recreation. Children will also learn the 7 Leave No Trace principles: know before you go; choose the right path; pack your trash; leave what you find; be careful with fire; respect wildlife; and be kind to other visitors. REI will also be handing out some cool goodies as well.

4. WHAT SHOULD IT COST?

Camp comes in all sort of prices from $50 to $200 or more per day. The average given by the ACA (American Camp Association ) is $85 per day. Can you always assume a more expensive camp is better, NO. Nor is a cheaper camp worse. This is where you must do your homework, weighing activities, philosophy and directors versus cost. 
Remember, many camps have financial aid, scholarships, deferred payment plans, sliding scale tuition, and discounts for bringing a friend. Here is a hint, Look at camps in your range then start to compare programs.
 

5. CAMP PHILOSOPHY, WHATS THIS?

This is the heart and the soul of the camp and the most important aspect of the camp. This flows from the Directors down to the staff and then to the campers. Things to consider
Does your child get to work in a group, collaborate with other kids, learn how to work with a team?
How do they Discipline?
Do kids get work out conflict?
Do the children make their own schedule?
Are they in control?
You may have other things to ask that best soot your child’s needs and expectations.

6. TELL ME ABOUT THE DIRECTOR AND STAFF?

At Swift Nature Camp we encourage every family to call or meet with us at an open house, held in late May. We feel it is important for campers and parents to feel comfortable with us caring for their child. Sure we have years of experience and training but none of that matters if you cannot talk to us. This is true for any camp, if you can not talk to the Director that will be at camp 24/7 I would seriously consider continuing your search. Once you feel comfortable then asking about staff is easy. Because you know that the Directors are going to ensure the staff are properly trained and more interested in your child than their time off. As for staff ratios, the ACA accreditation sets requirements based on age and programs. As long as you select an ACA camp you will be assured to be meeting the code.

7. WHAT ABOUT SAFETY?

Safety is all that matters at camp. Again ACA camp s meet many criteria to be sure camps are safe and here are just a few: background checks on all employees, staff trained in CPR and first aid, Nurse or Doctor at camp, ample lifeguards, training and licensing for transportation.
 

8. WHAT ABOUT PARENT VALUES?

Every parent is different and so is every camper, the only real way to make sure this is the place for your family is to review the materials in websites and mailings. Then call the Director and chat. Ask every possible thing that might matter, here are a few:
Are kids in tents or cabins? 
Are showers in the cabin? 
How religious is camp?”
Can a child with food allergies be kept safe?
Who will dispense meds?
Can I talk to my child on the phone?

9. WHAT ARE OTHERS SAYING ?

Ask for refferences. The can be from local families or those far away. This will give insight what kind of reputation the camp has. When talking to other families be sure to not only talk to the parent but to the camper. Ask a few difficult questions not just “how was camp?” This will give you real insight into the daily working of camp.
Lastly if possible do a site visit so you can decide for yourself which camp is best for you and your children. It is best to tour the camp when campers are there, this can give you a good sense of the camp. Obviously this is not all that easy to do, so don’t put off camp just because you can not make it to the camp facility. 

Remember it is all about the work you do upfront that will help ensure your childs camp experience will be a great one. To get more information refer to Summer Camp Advice a wonderful website dedicated to helping parents learn how to pick a summer camp

"There is no substitute for real leadership," said Mike Dreiblatt, a former teacher and president o Stand Up To Bullying. "Many zero-tolerance policies are nothing more than feel-good, bumper-sticker, no-real-change-in-behavior empty gestures," Mike said.

"A truly effective zero-tolerance policy responds to bullying, harassment and other acts of misconduct efficiently, effectively and in a timely manner. A zero-tolerance policy which truly responds to bullying with a thorough investigation, appropriate intervention and continued follow-through is all too rare."

Pennsylvania schools' zero-tolerance policies drew criticism earlier this year when Madison Guarna, a 5-year-old in the Mount Carmel Area School District in Northumberland County, allegedly told schoolmates that she was going to shoot them with a Hello Kitty toy that makes soap bubbles.

Madison, a kindergartener, initially received a 10-day suspension from school officials and was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation. The suspension later was reduced to two days, and Madison's mother, her attorney and school officials eventually reached an undisclosed settlement on the matter.

Last month, Harold Jordan, project director at the American Civil Liberties Union's Pennsylvania branch, authored and released a study about the zero-tolerance policy and noted that it's being used against a range of behaviors — including those in which kids are simply being kids.

The study, titled "Beyond Zero Tolerance: Discipline and Policing in Pennsylvania Public Schools," revealed that children are being targeted for dress-code violations and talking back to teachers.

Hardest on minorities

Jordan said African-Americans and students with disabilities are primarily hurt by the policy.

"[Blacks] make up just under 14 percent of the state's public school students but about half of the out-of-school suspensions," Jordan said.

The study noted that students with disabilities were almost twice as likely as others to receive out-of-school suspensions, and black students with disabilities received out-of-school suspensions at the highest rate of any group — 22 out of every 100 were suspended at least one time.

Further, 17 percent of black students were suspended at least once, a rate that's five times that of white students. It also revealed that one out of every 10 Latino students were suspended at least once, ranking Pennsylvania among the highest Latino suspension rates in the nation.

'Suspending a lot of kids'

Jordan said the report excluded charter and private schools, and data were extracted from reports by the state Department of Education, the federal Department of Education, Pennsylvania State Police and the state's Commission on Crime and Delinquency and after a slew of Right-to-Know requests.

The results ultimately show that the students as well as schools pay a high price because of the measures, Jordan said.

"They tend to become disengaged from school, even when they return, or they tend to drop out more than other students," he said. "Those schools don't necessarily become more peaceful places, and less violent places, just because you're suspending a lot of kids."

A total of 10 out-of-school suspensions were issued during the 2011-12 school year for every 100 students in public schools around the state, according to the ACLU study. That marked an increase from the 2009-10 rate of nine out-of-school suspensions per 100 students.

During the same year, 166,276 out-of-school suspensions were given out in Pennsylvania's school districts and about 1 out of every 15 public school student — or 6.51 percent — were suspended out-of-school at least once in 2009-10, the year for which the most recent data are available. The national average stands at 7.4 percent.

'One size fits all'

Psychologists and others said administrators are overlooking the fact that children are regurgitating what's being fed to them through various media and, for the most part, they are not a threat to safety.

"Most school board policies provide options and flexibility for administrators," said Kenneth Trump, a school safety consultant and president of National School Safety and Security Services in Cleveland, Ohio, which specializes in school security and emergency preparedness training, school security assessments and crisis services.

"What you see is poor decision-making and poor implementation of the policies, rather than the fact school administrators are handcuffed in terms of their discretion," said Trump, who, like others, noted that the recent rash of school violence, including the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy, has only served to reinforce zero-tolerance policies.

"I think people are afraid because of the striking and dramatic events that have happened in schools and that have been reported by the media," said Susan M. McHale, director of Social Science Research Institute, director of Children, Youth and Families Consortium and professor of Human Development at Penn State University.

"The people who study youth violence often talk about the fact that school violence is phenomenally rare compared to street and gang violence," McHale said. "The cases we've seen in schools are horrendous but disproportionately small compared to other violence. This one-size-fits-all method of punishment is not "» the most effective way to get kids to show you their best and to trust and believe in adults."

Taking it too far?

The state's zero-tolerance policy was instituted in 1994 and required all states to mandate a minimum one-year expulsion of any student caught with a firearm on school property.

Like some other states, Pennsylvania expanded the zero-tolerance policy to include fighting, touching and other offenses such as talking back to teachers and administrators.

However, there are several reasons the policy simply doesn't work, said Christopher Emdin, an urban education expert, associate professor at Columbia University and a Caperton Fellow at the WEB DuBois Institute at Harvard University.

"While the idea of zero-tolerance for bullying appears to make sense by letting youth know that it's not condoned, too many anti-bullying initiatives impose too harsh a punishment that does nothing but demonize the bully," Emdin said.

"Common practices like isolating the bully from the general population or automatic suspensions are never a good situation."

Defer Payments

Credit cards have long been a way for parents to spread out the camp tuition payment. Lately more camps are letting families not Pay in Full prior to camp but are instead having families pay some before camp starts and some when camp is over.

Bargaining

Lets face it haggling has been a way of buying goods and services for 1000’s of years. It is important that camp is not only about price and not all camps are equal. So get a list of your favorite camps and start from that point and see how you do.

Early Bird Rates

Often camps will give some sort of discount when you sign up closer to the end of last summers camp.

Brother or Sister Discount

Summer camps are often willing to give a discount to your family if you have a sibling come along as well. So be sure to ask for this it is a no brainier.

Website Enrollment

On occasion you might see this discount but it seems to be going away as most camps do online registration.

Trade

Swapping service or products can make camp nearly free. These can be from things the camp may need to your services. Always good to get in a conversation with the director for this.

Affordability

This is a newer idea, camps give you a choice of prices and you pick the one that you can pay. Camps are hoping your honesty will shine through and if possible you will not just select the lower price for the same service.

Dependent Care

Some employers offer the ability to help pay for day care or other child care expenses. So check with your employer if a dependent care flex account can work for you.

Tax Deductions

Many parents view overnight camp as day care and recently the so has the government. So be sure to check with your accountant, you might just be able to take a deduction.

To learn more about choosing the right summer camp for your child see SUMMER CAMP ADVICE